Course Summary/Reflection Paper

Course  Summary/Reflection  Paper          ISB  208L  –  FA15   Paper  Description  and  Rubric        

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Course  Summary/Reflection  Paper  –Due  Last  week  of  Regular  Class  (Project  Presentation  Day)   ASSIGNMENT  OBJECTIVES  AND  DESCRIPTION  (45  pts)  

Everybody  studies,  learns  and  recalls  information  differently.    An  important  part  of  developing  these  skills  is  to  recognize   these  differences  and  reflect  on  your  own  individual  learning.    For  this  assignment,  you  will  reflect  on  your  own  individual   learning  in  the  form  of  a  reflection  paper.    A  reflection  paper  is  written  from  your  perspective  and  will  contain  your   thoughts  and  ideas  (you  will  not  be  using  the  internet  for  this  assignment).    There  are  five  topics  to  address  in  this  reflection   paper  (listed  below),  and  these  topics  are  based  on  the  course  goals  outlined  in  the  syllabus  and  highlighted  throughout  the   semester.    You  will  reflect  and  write  on  each  of  the  following  Reflection  Topics:    

REFLECTION  TOPICS:    

1)  Develop  and  practice  scientific  reasoning  and  analytical  thinking  in  order  to  make  more  informed  decisions.  Describe  a   lab,  lecture,  assignment,  or  aspect  of  this  course  that  you  feel  helped  accomplish  one  or  both  of  these  goals.    In  your   explanation,  state  the  specific  activity  and  provide  specific  examples  of  how  the  activity  helped  accomplish  the  goal(s).    If   you  do  not  feel  that  you  developed  or  practiced  scientific  reasoning  or  analytical  thinking  explain  why,  and  also  offer  a   suggestion(s)  that  would  have  helped  you  to  obtain  these  goals.        

2)  Communicate  effectively  to  diverse  audiences.  Describe  a  lab,  lecture,  assignment,  or  aspect  of  this  course  that  you  feel   helped  accomplish  this  goal.    In  your  explanation,  state  the  specific  activity  and  provide  specific  examples  of  how  the   activity  helped  accomplish  the  goal(s).    If  you  do  not  feel  that  you  developed  communication  skills  explain  why,  and  also   offer  a  suggestion(s)  that  would  have  helped  you  to  obtain  these  goals.     3)  Develop  teamwork  skills.  Describe  a  lab,  lecture,  assignment,  or  aspect  of  this  course  that  you  feel  helped  accomplish   this  goal.    In  your  explanation,  state  the  specific  activity  and  provide  specific  examples  of  how  the  activity  helped   accomplish  the  goal(s).    If  you  do  not  feel  that  you  developed  teamwork  skills  explain  why,  and  also  offer  a  suggestion(s)   that  would  have  helped  you  to  obtain  these  goals.    

4)  Understand  the  role  of  science  as  an  important  part  of  your  daily  life.  Describe  a  lab,  lecture,  assignment,  or  aspect  of   this  course  that  you  feel  helped  accomplish  this  goal.    In  your  explanation,  state  the  specific  activity  and  provide  specific   examples  of  how  the  activity  helped  accomplish  the  goal(s).    If  you  do  not  feel  that  you  have  a  greater  appreciation  for   science  and  how  it  relates  to  your  daily  life  explain  why,  and  also  offer  a  suggestion(s)  that  would  have  helped  you  to  obtain   these  goals.        

5)  What  aspect  of  the  Water  Footprint  Calculator  Project  do  you  feel  you  learned  the  most  from,  and  why?      Or.      What   more  would  you  like  to  have  learned  during  this  project,  and  why?      Chose  one  of  these  two  topics.         FORMATTING  AND  GRADING:    

Format:    The  paper  should  be  typed,  using  12pt  font,  and  single-­‐spaced.    There  is  no  minimum  required  number  of  pages   for  this  assignment;  however,  there  is  a  maximum  of  4  pages.    IMPORTANT:  Add  headers/titles  to  each  of  your  paragraphs   to  help  organize  your  thoughts.    For  example,  add  “Communicate  effectively  to  diverse  audiences”  at  the  beginning  of  that   particular  paragraph  or  section.      

Grading:    The  total  assignment  is  worth  45pts.  The  grade  will  be  based  on  overall  spelling  and  grammar  (5pts  –3  to  5   spelling  or  grammatical  errors  2.5/5pts;  more  than  5  spelling  or  grammatical  errors  0/5pts),  and  substance  (8pts  each  topic;   40pts  total).      Substance  includes  your  understanding  of  the  material  (2pts),  how  your  thoughts  are  communicated  (2pts),   and  whether  your  thoughts  are  supported  by  specific  examples  (2pts)  to  specific  course  goals  (2pts).      

Course  Summary/Reflection  Paper          ISB  208L  –  FA15   Paper  Description  and  Rubric        

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Submission:  All  papers  will  be  submitted  electronically  to  a  designated  Dropbox  in  D2L.    All  work  is  due  prior  to  the   beginning  of  your  last  regularly  scheduled  208L  class  period,  but  you  may  submit  your  work  earlier.    Your  instructor  may   also  require  a  hard-­‐copy  printed  and  brought  into  class  on  your  last  regularly  scheduled  208L  class  period.